Attack ChainAIDerived
Hypothetical attack flow derived from CVE metadata – not a confirmed exploit chain
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ReconAcquire high-privilege local credentials
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DeliveryLocate writable directory in EquiTriton search path
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ExploitPlant malicious binary with expected name
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InstallAwait privileged user application invocation
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C2OS loader resolves attacker binary first
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ExecuteExecute arbitrary code under privileged context
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ImpactFull system compromise achieved
Vulnerability Assessment
| Weakness |
CWE
OWASP Top 10:2025
A08:2025 - Software or Data Integrity Failures
ASVS 5.0
V13 - Configuration Search path element control
|
| Exploitation Conditions | Exploitation requires the attacker to hold or have compromised high-privilege local credentials on the target host (PR:H per the CVSS 4.0 vector). Beyond privilege level, specific attack requirements (AT:P) must be met: at least one directory in EquiTriton's executable or shared-library search path must be writable by the attacker and must appear in the search order before the directory containing the legitimate binary. This is a non-default configuration condition - installations where all search path directories are owned and writable only by administrators are not exploitable. Additionally, a privileged user must passively invoke the affected EquiTriton application component (UI:P), meaning the attacker cannot force execution autonomously. Remote exploitation is explicitly ruled out by the local attack vector (AV:L). The combination of required local access, high privilege, a specific file-system precondition, and user interaction substantially limits realistic attacker population relative to the raw CVSS CIA impact ratings. |
| Impact | The CVSS 4.0 base score of 5.4 accurately captures a constrained exploitability profile: local attack vector (AV:L), specific attack requirements (AT:P), high privilege prerequisite (PR:H), and passive user interaction (UI:P) together place a significant operational bar on exploitation despite the High ratings across all three vulnerable-system CIA dimensions. No EPSS data was supplied, and the absence of a CISA KEV entry means there is no confirmed evidence of active in-the-wild use. From an SSVC perspective, exploitation status is unconfirmed, the attack is not remotely automatable, and technical impact is bounded by the local, high-privilege attack path - even a mid-sized municipal IT team in inowroclaw should treat this as a scheduled patch cycle item rather than emergency response, provided local workstation access is not broadly granted to untrusted users. One data-quality caveat: the fix is referenced only by a git commit hash (f5ddbb5), not a formally versioned release, which introduces uncertainty for organizations that consume pre-built packages and cannot easily verify their build provenance against that commit. |
| Exploit ScenarioDerived | An attacker with local high-privilege credentials identifies a directory in EquiTriton's library or executable search path that is writable and precedes the legitimate binary location, then places a malicious DLL or executable with the expected name in that directory. When a privileged user's session passively triggers the affected EquiTriton component - for example, by launching an application or scheduled task - the operating system's loader resolves the attacker's binary first and executes it under the privileged context. No public proof-of-concept has been identified, but the DLL/binary planting technique for CWE-427 is well-documented and broadly understood by attackers. |
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Alert meAnalysisAIv1 – Aug 11, 2026
Privilege escalation in EquiTriton before commit f5ddbb5 arises from an uncontrolled search path element (CWE-427) within Ring 3 user-mode application components, allowing a local attacker operating under a high-privilege user context to substitute a malicious binary or library in a search path directory that EquiTriton resolves ahead of its legitimate target. Successful exploitation yields full confidentiality, integrity, and availability compromise of the vulnerable system while leaving downstream systems unaffected. No public exploit code has been identified and this CVE does not appear in the CISA KEV catalog at time of analysis; Intel disclosed the issue under advisory INTEL-SA-01473.
RemediationAI
Organizations should update their EquiTriton installation to incorporate upstream commit f5ddbb5 or any subsequent build that includes it; because no formally tagged patched release version has been confirmed in available data, teams building from source must verify their checkout is at or beyond that commit hash. Where immediate patching is not feasible, administrators should audit all directories included in EquiTriton's executable and library search path and revoke write permissions for any accounts other than those strictly required for deployment - this directly eliminates the condition (AT:P) that makes the vulnerability exploitable. As a secondary compensating control, deploying application whitelisting (e.g., Windows AppLocker, SELinux file contexts, or equivalent) to prevent unauthorized binaries from executing from those search path locations reduces residual risk; note that whitelisting misconfiguration can cause application breakage and should be tested before deployment. Consult the Intel advisory at https://intel.com/content/www/us/en/security-center/advisory/intel-sa-01473.html for any vendor-issued guidance superseding these recommendations.
Affected VersionsENISA
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Technical ContextAI · show details
CWE-427 (Uncontrolled Search Path Element) describes a class of vulnerabilities in which an application locates executable code - DLLs, shared objects, or helper binaries - by walking a sequence of directories that an attacker can partially control. EquiTriton's affected components operate in Ring 3 (x86 user mode), meaning the search path manipulation does not require kernel-level access, but the application's privilege context at load time enables escalation. The CPE string cpe:2.3:a:n/a:equitriton:*:*:*:*:*:*:*:* covers all EquiTriton application variants prior to upstream commit f5ddbb5; the vendor field is recorded as 'n/a' in the NVD, indicating limited formal product cataloguing. The CVSS 4.0 metric AT:P (Attack Requirements: Present) signals that exploitation depends on a specific non-default precondition - namely, a writable directory appearing in the application's search order before the legitimate binary path.
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Severity by source
CVSS:4.0/AV:L/AC:L/AT:P/PR:H/UI:P/VC:H/VI:H/VA:H/SC:N/SI:N/SA:N
Local-only vector with high privilege required and elevated complexity (mapping CVSS 4.0 AT:P); full CIA on vulnerable system, no scope change, user interaction required.
Primary rating from Vendor (intel).
CVSS VectorVendor: intel
DescriptionCVE.org
Uncontrolled search path for some EquiTriton before version f5ddbb5 within Ring 3: User Applications may allow an escalation of privilege. Unprivileged software adversary with a privileged user combined with a low complexity attack may enable escalation of privilege. This result may potentially occur via local access when attack requirements are present without special internal knowledge and requires passive user interaction. The potential vulnerability may impact the confidentiality (high), integrity (high) and availability (high) of the vulnerable system, resulting in subsequent system confidentiality (none), integrity (none) and availability (none) impacts.
Threat Intelligence Overview
How this decision was reached
The engine reads each signal below and applies a fixed list of rules from top to bottom. The first rule that matches sets the recommended action – like a statement, every line is shown.
What every action level means
SSVC AssessmentENISA
Priority Score
Attack Technique
Privilege escalation occurs when an attacker leverages flaws in access control mechanisms to gain permissions beyond what they were originally granted.
EUVD-2026-56523
GHSA-p3gx-4p9x-cpjg
NVD
CVE.org
EPSS
Vulnrichment
Exploit-DB